WPL Auction 2023 | Smriti Mandhana Highest Bid: The Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction in Mumbai on Monday saw some of the most talented cricketers in the world go under the hammer as five franchises – Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Mumbai Indians, UP Warriorz and Gujarat Giants – battled it out to secure the services of the best players in the business.
The auction kicked off with a bang as Smriti Mandhana, the Indian opener, was the first player to come up for bidding. Mandhana, who had a base price of INR 1 crore, fetched a whopping INR 3.4 crore (USD 415,000 approx) from RCB. The left-hander, who is renowned for her attacking strokeplay and her ability to dominate the bowlers, is considered one of the best batters in the world.
RCB, who were keen on strengthening their squad, didn’t shy away from spending big on three players in the first marquee set. Along with Mandhana, they bought two allrounders – Sophie Devine at her base price of INR 50 lakh (USD 61,000 approx) and Ellyse Perry for INR 1.7 crore (USD 207,000 approx).
The franchise then added big-hitting 19-year-old wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh, who featured in India’s victorious Under-19 World Cup campaign last month, for INR 1.9 crore (USD 232,000 approx).
Mike Hesson, RCB’s director of cricket, expressed his delight at securing the services of the three world-class players.
WPL Auction 2023 | Smriti Mandhana Highest Bid: RCB GET THE BIG NAMES While DC Plays it Smart
Top 10 Players at the auction:
For the 2023 edition of the Women’s Premier League, several women cricketers were bought for huge sums of money, and the top ten most expensive buys list was filled with some of the most talented and exciting players in the world. Smriti Mandhana of the Royal Challengers Bangalore topped the list with a whopping USD 415,000, followed by Ashleigh Gardner of Gujarat, and Natalie Sciver-Brunt of Mumbai Indians, both bought for USD 390,000.
Deepti Sharma of Uttar Pradesh went for USD 317,000, while Jemimah Rodrigues of Delhi was bought for USD 268,000. Beth Mooney of Gujarat and Shafali Verma of Delhi were both bought for USD 244,000, followed by Pooja Vastrakar of Mumbai Indians and Richa Ghosh of RCB, both bought for USD 232,000. Sophie Ecclestone of Uttar Pradesh rounded off the top ten with a bid of USD 220,000.
Each of these players brings a unique set of skills and experiences to the table. Gardner, for instance, boasts a strike rate of 133.62, which is the highest among all batters with over 1000 T20I runs. In a recent match, she picked up a five-for in Australia’s resounding win over New Zealand in their opening game of the Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa.
Sciver-Brunt, on the other hand, is a hard-hitting middle-order batter and seamer, and was the third highest run-getter in the 2022 Women’s Hundred. Her 228 runs in six innings for Trent Rockets came at a strike rate of 122.58.
WPL Auction 2023 | Smriti Mandhana Highest Bid: RCB GET THE BIG NAMES While DC Plays it Smart
Her England teammate and left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone went to the UP Warriorz for INR 1.8 crore (USD 220,000 approx), while Beth Mooney, who was the highest run-scorer during Australia’s tour of India in December, was bought by the Gujarat Giants for INR 2 crore (USD 244,000 approx).
Apart from the top ten most expensive buys, several other players were bought for big money by the various teams. Delhi Capitals bought 18 players for INR 11.65 crore, while RCB bought 18 players for INR 11.90 crore, and Mumbai Indians bought 17 players for INR 12 crore. The UP Warriorz bought 16 players for INR 12 crore, and the Gujarat Giants bought 18 players for INR 11.95 crore.
While some players were bought for huge sums of money, others were sold for surprisingly low amounts. Australia wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy, for example, was not part of the two marquee sets and came up only in set five, yet was snapped up by the UP Warriorz for a steal at INR 70 lakh (USD 85,000 approx).
Meg Lanning, Australia’s previous ODI and T20 World Cup-winning captain, was signed by the Delhi Capitals for INR 1.1 crore (USD 134,000 approx). Capitals continued their overseas buying spree when they bought South Africa allrounder Marizanne Kapp, who attracted the highest bid among allrounders outside the marquee set at INR 1.5 crore (USD)
